Genuine hospitality. While Generator works on a wide variety of building projects, what binds our work together is not architecture. It is the art of hospitality – of being genuine about who we are and what we can accomplish for those we serve. From nationally recognized sports arenas to a little grocery store for a food desert in Kansas City, Kansas, the concepts are the same: Do people feel welcome, and is the space livable?
Our award-winning work stems from these ideas. At the end of the day, it’s about helping clients create environments responsive to their programmatic and budget requirements, and creating lifestyle-oriented designs that are uniquely authentic to their place and time.

Design for good. Generator believes in contributing to the greater community we live, work and play in. Our skill set and perspective grows exponentially with exposure to new people and new ideas, and a large part of that exposure comes from giving back to local community organizations. We continue to support various local charitable organizations with our time and resources. Our personal and professional commitment is long standing. We strive to provide solutions that allow user experiences to evolve through human interaction with the environment; a goal that is critical for many not-for-profit clients and the people they serve.

Crafted experiences. In our residential design work, we often get asked to create an experience that is similar to a particular hotel or place that our clients have brought back from their travels around the world. Our approach in residential design has therefore evolved to allow authentic experiences to naturally arise through our clients’ personal interaction with their homes. In doing this, the design takes care of itself; leaving no doubt as to why a space is designed a certain way.
Every client we have is different, and we believe in celebrating our clients’ unique wants and needs through tailored design solutions, whether ground-up new construction or custom renovations. Our clients love the experiences we craft with them.

User focused design always wins. Founders Tom Proebstle and Mike Kress have been shaping the landscape of sports architecture over the last two decades. While at previous firms Ellerbe Becket and Crawford Architects, they shaped landmark projects such as Conseco Fieldhouse, Lambeau Field, UNI’s McLeod Center, Fenway Park and Qwest Field among others. Since founding Generator studio, Tom and Mike’s legacy in the world of sports architecture continues to grow, with recent clients including the St. Louis Blues, Minnesota Vikings, Tampa Bay Lightning and Minnesota Wild. What distinguishes Generator’s work is a passion for the business of sports, first understanding an organization’s unique challenges, market, brand essence and revenue goals. What results is differentiated design, with branding rooted in the very architecture itself and revenue opportunities steeped in an immersive fan experience.

Our venue clients often ask us what issues to consider at the onset of a potential major renovation or master plan. Over time, we've developed a list of the top 50 items we typically consider to keep our clients' venues competitive in the current and future markets. Learn more about recommended core strategies in our RE|VENUE® brochure.

Work spaces that feel like home. We solve problems for our workplace clients through an immersive approach to design. Our process often includes a deep dive into our client's business model, helping them plan growth strategies, ensure corporate objectives are represented in design, advise on trends, and review branding and marketing strategies among other advisory roles. It speaks to the level of trust we're known for establishing, and we believe necessary to create meaningful and authentic architectural environments for employees. Thoughtful work environments built on corporate strategy helps with employee retention, improves corporate identity, improves efficiency, and opens up new opportunities for return on investment.